By Paul Freeman [November 2017 Interview]

The TBS series “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee” delivers the naked truth. It’s political and social satire with sizzle as the brilliant, fearless, fiery late-night host Bee strips lies and disguise from the corruptly powerful and the self-righteously hypocritical.

It can be tricky, trying to simultaneously deliver vital messages and earn laughs, but Bee deftly walks the high wire. And she doesn’t worry about her clever, cutting comedy sparking controversy.

The unassuming, Canadian-born Bee, now an American citizen, honed her performing skills in theatre and sketch comedy in Toronto. She met future husband Jason Jones at that time. In 2003, Bee became the first female correspondent for “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.” She displayed an uncanny knack for getting dodgy people to reveal their moral deficiencies.

The longest-running regular correspondent on “The Daily Show,” she left after 12 years and started her own program, “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee.” “Full Frontal” spurs dialogue amongst viewers. It helps shatter apathy.

Bee, who hosted “Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner,” was named by Time magazine this year as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

She and husband Jason Jones, who became a “Daily Show” contributor in 2005, have three children. Jones currently stars on the TBS comedy “The Detour.” Bee and Jones serve as executive producers on one another’s series. This Queen Bee, despite being ridiculously busy, took time to chat with Pop Culture Classics.

POP CULTURE CLASSICS:
You must hear from people all the time, saying how grateful they are that you give voice to their anger, frustrations and incredulity at what’s happening in the world.

SAMANTHA BEE:
Nice, thank you [laughs].

PCC:
Don’t you get that sort of reaction?

BEE:
I do get that sort of reaction. I do get that quite a bit. But I really do the show for me.

PCC:
How vital is it for you to have that means of venting?

BEE:
I’m so thankful for it, really. I’ve needed it, for sure. I need that catharsis, just like anybody else, as we all do.

PCC:
How important is it for viewers to have humor as an outlet, a way to blow off steam?

BEE:
Well, for viewers for sure. But I think about the people in my office — how much we need it. You know?

PCC:
What is the effect you most want to have on your audience?

BEE:
It’s funny, I mean, I do cherish our audience, but mostly I think about the people who work here. I try to make it a satisfying experience for the people who work here, more than anything. We kind of make the show that we feel like we personally need. That’s how we do it. That’s how the show is formed. So once it’s out there, it’s a pretty accurate representation of what we’re feeling. As opposed to going like, “What do people need right now?,” we go, “Well, what do we want to say?” We kind of approach it from our own point of view.

PCC:
But it must be gratifying to know you’re sparking dialogue.

BEE:
Yeah, it’s great. It is very gratifying. That’s exactly the correct word.

PCC:
The Trump election — not that it’s at all an even tradeoff, but was it kind of a mixed blessing in terms of being a nightmare for the nation, but a bonanza comedically?

BEE:
Oh, none of us see it that way, really. I think pre-election, the run-up to the election felt like a bonanza for sure. That was really fun. That feels like another era completely now, in retrospect. But once the actual election hit, none of us were really grateful, at all [laughs]. We see ourselves at citizens first. So we did not wish for this.

PCC:
When he won, were you more filled with outrage or disbelief?

BEE:
I think disbelief. I think our reactions went through various stages. It took us a long time to find… I don’t know that we’ve even achieved the new normal yet. I’m not sure we’re quite there yet. It’s been such a frenetic pace.

PCC:
With the steady stream of bizarre and horrible things he’s said and done, what about him do you find most disturbing?

BEE:
Ummm…. Well, I guess, any one day, it could be something completely different. But I think the thing that makes it the most dangerous to me is that he doesn’t seem to have any world view. He seems to lack a compass. And he’s very fickle. I don’t really feel like he’s guided by principle. I don’t feel like his principles are deeply rooted in anything. And I have to feel like he’s either winging it or taking actions vindictively.

I think he doesn’t understand that he’s supposed to be the President of all Americans, not just his small and rapidly deteriorating base. He doesn’t really see that he’s supposed to lead the entire nation, whether the nation likes him or not. He’s catering to one small subset of Americans. And it communicates a complete lack of understanding of what this country is all about. He’s never lived in it as a regular civilian.

PCC:
You do manage to create hilarity out of dire circumstances. Are you sometimes so infuriated that it’s difficult to make yourself be funny?

BEE:
Yeah, definitely. It’s very difficult. It’s very taxing on the staff, I must say. It’s very taxing on everybody. But I think the people that make up our staff are just like the best people currently working in late-night. So I give them so much credit. They just nail it every time. They’re amazing. They just bring comedy out of the most terrible places.

PCC:
Is it tricky to walk that line between doing comedy and delivering a message that’s important?

BEE:
Uh-huh. Always. Very tricky. Yeah. It’s a very fine line. It’s like the line between satire and activism. It’s a very fine line. And we’re careful to walk it the best way that we can. But we’re always thinking about it, for sure.

PCC:
It seems like, you get out there and say what you feel, without any no fear — is that the way you approach it?

BEE:
I do, actually. It’s very rooted in my point of view. And so I am not ashamed of how I feel about things. I feel like I have this opportunity once a week, for 21 minutes, to really communicate a point of view. And I take that opportunity and see it as a gift. The material is heavy, but it’s a gift to put something in the world that is representative of who you are. So I feel like it’s an opportunity every week.

PCC:
And that has resulted in legions of devoted fans…

BEE:
[Laughs] Oh, that’s nice! Legions! Oh, wow! I appreciate that.

PCC:
Maybe it’s the company I keep, but it certainly seems that way.

BEE:
[Laughs]

PCC:
But do you also get a steady stream of vitriol from right-wingers?

BEE:
Oh, definitely. But I don’t pay attention to that [laughs]. I really truly don’t pay attention to them. I do very well without knowing what they think of me — I know what they think of me and I don’t tap into it, actually. I don’t pay attention to what people are saying about me, really — good or bad. I just try to stay very focused on making a show every week. I don’t really read about myself. I don’t Google myself. I don’t check in with social media for my own purposes. I’m on social media all the time, but as an observer, making sure I know what’s happening in the world. But I don’t involve myself too much. And that’s just the healthiest way to live. I can’t really do it any other way.

PCC:
Constantly poring over the news for “Full Frontal,” immersing yourself in the endless crises, do you manage to maintain a sense of hope, optimism?

BEE:
I do, actually. It’s amazing. It’s hard to do. But I think that people are so engaged right now. And that gives me a lot of hope. As dark as everything can be, as crazy as everything can feel, ultimately, you’re really seeing levels of engagement from the public that I’ve never witnessed in my lifetime, for sure. And I’ve been doing satire for a really long time. And I would say, even during the Iraq War, people just were not as awake as they are right now. People are awake.

PCC:
So do you think they’re getting past the point where they’re so disillusioned that they expect politicians to be corrupt, selfish, dishonest, where they once again expect more? Demand more?

BEE:
I think they’re realizing that things can be taken away — if you’re not careful. And you have to be vigilant.

PCC:
When controversy is stirred on the show, can that be a useful tool in itself? Is it something you seek out or just an unintended byproduct usually?

BEE:
I guess it can be useful. I guess it brings eyeballs to the show. But I literally don’t know what controversies I’ve stirred up [laughs]. I really don’t. It’s not common for me to know if something has irked people… because something always irks people. It always irks someone. You can’t please everyone… ever. So there’s honestly no point in trying to please anyone but yourself.

PCC:
But do you see it as part of your mission to call people in power on their bullshit?

BEE:
I do. For as long as I have this opportunity, definitely. Definitely. I mean, we did that at “The Daily Show” for sure. And we literally have to stay vigilant on this Presidency, because they are trying to change the entire complexion of the country. And I don’t mean the physical complexion. I mean, we’re losing democratic forms. Some things that we thought were laws, it appears that they were just gentlemen’s agreements and handshake deals.

So if we’re not hyper-vigilant, we’ll lose even more. I’d love to have a country at the end of all of this. I think we’re going to make it through this Presidency. But I’d like to think that people will emerge from this with a greater sense of the importance of this democracy, keeping it whole, keeping press free.

PCC:
Things like climate change — the network news outlets tend to completely ignore the issue, even during weather disasters and you did a great episode on that recently — why does it seem like it’s only the comedy news shows that really seek the truth on the hard issues?

BEE:
Listen, the truth is, we can’t make the shows we make — and I think that’s true of all the late-night shows that are in the realm of news — we can’t make the shows that we want to make without the work of journalists. It’s just that, in the world that we live in now, if you’re not getting your news from multiple sources, you’re not doing yourself any favors. So I think that we are vampires. We are the vampires for great journalism.

So people are out there investigating and we use their research. If it wasn’t for real investigation out there, we couldn’t make our show the way that we make it. We use footage from documentaries. We license footage all the time from like small projects and documentaries. And we try to bring other people’s work into our work, as much as humanly possible. So I can’t really take anything away from… I mean, there’s cable news and that’s its own beast. But we really rely on journalists. And we have many journalists working here, keeping our show on the path of righteousness [laughs].

PCC:
Doing a public event like “In Conversation with Samantha Bee,” which you did recently at Stanford University, is that something you enjoy, meeting people, connecting with viewers, hearing first-hand what your work has meant to them?

BEE:
I do. I love it. I really do love it. I mean, I’m not a stand-up. I don’t go from crowd to crowd, like wowing people. I prefer these kinds of engagements, where people can ask questions and it’s just an interesting kind of behind-the-scenes look at what we do and how we put it together. I take it seriously. I hope it’s fun for people. I’m kind of a quiet person. Like I hope that they get to see a side of me that’s a little more contemplative.

PCC:
You mentioned “The Daily Show” earlier. How did Jon Stewart influence you?

BEE:
Well, there are obviously a million different ways he influenced me. But I think the most important thing that he did was to drive me further into my own point of view, to help me figure out how important point of view was to me and what that was, to always push me to go further with that — a great lesson.

PCC:
And before that, starting out in Toronto, acting, doing sketch comedy, where did you originally envision your career going?

BEE:
I would have seen it going in a more scripted direction, for sure. I mean, “The Daily Show” was my favorite show, so it was well within my interest. But I didn’t expect to work there one day. It was life-changing, obviously. I would not have known how much I would love it. I mean I loved it as a viewer, but I could never anticipate loving it as much as I did as I started doing it.

PCC:
The Time magazine designation as one of this year’s 100 most influential people, is there a sense of responsibility that comes with that?

BEE:
I don’t think I’ve even really registered it yet [laughs]. You just reminded me and I’m like — Wow! Yeah, I mean, I take the show seriously and that’s how, I think, I fulfill my share of responsibility. There’s no one thing I can guarantee, in terms of changing people’s minds. I don’t think that that’s the goal. I just try to provide a quality product week after week [laughs].

PCC:
You and your husband Jason, do you still serve as sounding boards for one another’s comedy?

BEE:
Definitely, oh yeah. Definitely. Yeah.

PCC:
Do you have a hands-on role on each other’s shows?

BEE:
Well, his series, “The Detour” is a scripted show. Somewhat. Wherever possible. This summer, for example, he was filming in Canada and I was not able to be there the whole time, because I was making a show here. But I went there for three weeks. So where it’s possible, that’s where we will come into each other’s worlds. We’re always in the backgrounds of each other’s projects, for sure.

PCC:
Being originally coming from Canada, do you think that gives you a more objective perspective, that you can view things a bit differently, maybe a bit more clearly than people who spent their entire lives here and take things for granted?

BEE:
Well, I think it maybe did at first — not objective, but certainly to be able to see the realities here, to be in it, but not of it. That was very effective at the start of my career. But since then, I have really discovered that I wanted to be both in it and of it. That’s why I got my citizenship, because I really wanted to vote and I wanted to participate. I mean, I was always paying taxes, believe me. But I wanted to be able to participate more fully in the system. I’ve chosen to live my life here, so now, I’m very in it. And that’s a good thing, too, because I’m very invested in it. I love this place.

PCC:
Is one of the great rewards of the show that it gives you an opportunity to support important causes, like planned parenthood and many other worthy organizations?

BEE:
Yeah, very much so. If you have an opportunity to give back, that’s a great thing. It’s my pleasure to use the show as much as possible, because we’re able to bring attention to things that don’t get a ton of attention or to raise money for things we really believe in, but also kind of fit our satirical purposes. There has to be a convergence of a couple of different things. But if it makes sense for us to do and we can do it and be effective, then it’s my pleasure to do so.

PCC:
With all you’ve accomplished already in your career, what’s the greatest source of pride for you?

BEE:
Doing this show week to week, it’s 100 percent my greatest career accomplishment. Doing the “Not The White House Correspondents Dinner” really felt like the distillation of all of that. That was such a pleasure, from start to finish. And I feel like everybody just stepped into it so effectively. Just pulling that off felt like such a coup for us. So I would say doing the show, but also being able to do something like the event that we had, filled me with great pride.

PCC:
There must have been a sense of filling a void, that was crystalized by that event.

BEE:
And also just like, we had fun [laughs]. We also just really, really had fun.

PCC:
So with all the pressure and the hectic schedule, you are still having fun on a regular basis?

BEE:
Yeah. It’s essential. If you’re not having fun, you should not be doing it. It’s supposed to be fun. It’s TV.

PCC:
Well, it’s certainly fun watching “Full Frontal.”

BEE:
Thank you so much.

For more on this artist, visit www.samanthabee.com.